Coincidence
by Fin's Sve
Summary: A Taishiro, because we need more of them! yesh! This is about some fluffy moments Izzy and Tai share. mmmmm.
1. Coincidence

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**Wow, I haven't posted a fic in a while.**

**Okay, so me and my man are rewatching the Digimon series 01 and 02. I am inspired, what can I say? hee hee. **

**Oh, and wtf with this download manager? It doesn't bold what I want it to, let alone center it. Someone help.**

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****Coincidence**

On a cold winter's eve, Taichi was strolling along the sidewalk with the occasional shout out to the family cat. He didn't know why his sister had left the door open, but somehow the cat had gotten out again. It seemed that he was the only one picked to go after it every time, too.

As the snow crunched under his shoes, he kept stepping forward until he turned the corner to see another apartment building. He's soft chocolate-colored eyes lowered. "Hm, Izzy's place," he muttered to himself. For some reason, he wanted to go into the building and find Izumi residence. Izzy was a good friend of his since they didn't live to far from each other, and Taichi needed homework help so much since school started back.

Then as if coincidence was pulling at Taichi's soul, Koushiro's voiced a hello from behind him. Taichi turned around quickly and looked at him, "Izzy."

Koushiro had a paper bag in his hands. He was dressed warmly, even warmer than Taichi. He smiled, "cat?"

Taichi smiled nervously, "yeah, Meiko got out again. Have you seen him?"

The younger boy shook his head, "no, sorry. Then again, I was at the store, so he might have come by here and I not know it."

"This cat is killing me," Taichi groaned. "Why can't he just stay home like a normal cat?"

"Well, if he's not fixed, he's probably looking for lady cats," Koushiro said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Taichi chuckled, "I'd go to the shelter and get him a wife if that's the case."

Koushiro smiled, "very funny, Tai."

A few moments of silence passed as the two quietened. Taichi lowered his eyes, "it's really cold out here."

"Yeah, it is," Koushiro mumbled. "Do you want to come in and warm up?"

Taichi grinned, "sure!"

"I thought so," Koushiro chuckled. "Come on."

Taichi followed Koushiro to the right apartment entry door. He couldn't help but feel excited at the fact he was following him home at night. It was just something out of the ordinary about it.

"I'm back, Mom," Koushiro called as they entered. He and Taichi slipped off their shoes. "Tai was looking for his runaway cat and in the process became a stray himself," Koushiro added as his mother walked into the area to greet them.

Mrs. Izumi smiled at Taichi, "so nice to see you again." She giggled a little as she took the paper sack from Koushiro. "Both of you have pink faces. Must be freezing out there," she said, walking into the kitchen. "If you two would like, I can whip up some hot chocolate. It's not trouble," she told them, poking her head out of the doorway. "How about it, Tai?"

Taichi loved Izumi cooking; he could eat it all day. But when it came to drinks, he was in a haven of tongue-pleasure. "Oh, yes ma'am!" he answered with a bow of his head and a grin.

"I'll bring it to you both when it's done," Mrs. Izumi nodded with a smile.

Koushiro led Taichi to his bedroom where his computer was the only light. He flipped the light switch and took off his thick hoodie. "There should be some sort of tracking device if you don't get it fixed," he mumbled.

Taichi's head was in the soft, marshmallow clouds of hot cocoa dreams. "Huh?" he blurted out.

Koushiro chuckled, "a tracking device for your cat."

"That's Kari's cat!" Taichi snapped. He sighed, "I'm so tired of that thing. It's so annoying."

"At least you and Kari get to have pets. My father is allergic to animal dander and can't be in contact with dogs and cats.," Koushiro said.

Taichi frowned, "you think I have animal dander on me?"

"Possibly, but it's fine, Tai. I'm sure it's not enough to be inhaled by him," Koushiro answered. He then sat in his computer chair and began typing.

Taichi noticed a box pop up on the screen. There was a picture of a blond boy at the top right corner. He frowned, "so, whatcha doin?"

Koushiro smiled again, "talking to my American friend. I told you about him. His name is Wallace; he's a digidestined like us, but his digi-egg produced twins instead of one digimon."

"Oh, you mean the kid from Colorado? Back when we saved the world together from-" Tachi started.

The door opened and Mrs. Izumi walked in with a tray of two mugs. "Warmth is served, boys," she said with a smile. "I put extra cream in yours, Tai." She walked out, "have fun, boys."

"That was fast," Tai mumbled.

"Thanks mom," Koushiro called softly. He took a mug, "don't worry, though, Tai."

Taichi looked at him as he took his own mug, filled with way more creamy marshmallows. "Worry?" he asked.

Koushiro gave him a slight blush and spoke nervously, "you seemed a little anxious when you saw Wallace pop up on my screen. I just want you to know well..." He spoke before blowing his drink, "after Tentomon, you're my top friend on the list."

Taichi gazed at him with a blank expression, "I...am?"

"Well, we've been through so much together. I mean, the only reason I went to camp that fateful year was because you invited me. And even if I do argue with you, I know it's okay, because you always come off as completely apologetic," Koushiro explained. "Added on, we do get along quite well. If I had to pick one of the digidestined to be in a panic room with, you'd be the choice."

Taichi let a slow small slip onto his lips. "Thanks," he chuckled before taking a small sip of his hot chocolate. He smiled happily, "so good!"

"It is really good," Koushiro agreed. He looked at Taichi, "And I'm sorry for getting a little emotional. I just thought you were a little upset."

"Emotional?" Taichi muttered nervously, "no no, Izzy. Um, well, I wasn't angry. Just a little jealous."

"Jealous?" Koushiro asked.

Taichi was blushing inside, but he didn't let Koushiro witness it. He spoke again, "I think of you like a very close friend. Honestly, I thought Matt and I would hang out more, even more with Sora, but... Well, Matt has his band, and Sora is into tennis. Kari isn't much to hang out with now that she has TK and Davis around her all the time." He frowned, "I'm really glad you think of me as a close friend. Thanks, Izzy."

Koushiro smiled, "no problem, Tai."

Taichi then began to feel that feeling he had before Koushiro found him only moments ago. It was a strange urge or something. It felt like the time he had a crush on Sora. Koushiro had the softest eyes when he looked at Taichi, and now it was so...crazy.

"There's the cat!" Koushiro snapped, pointing out of the window.

Taichi shook his head, "Meiko?" He looked out and saw the cat prancing its way home. Taichi then gulped down his drink. His face turned red, "ow! Hot!"

Koushiro blinked, "I guess you're leaving?"

"Sorry, I have to catch that cat or Kari will never go to sleep," Taichi said in a slightly muffled voice, due to his burned tongue. "Thanks for letting me hang, Koushiro!" he said as he brushed his hand against the younger boy's shoulder. He rushed out, "call ya!"

Koushiro stood there silent at stiff.

"Leaving already, Tai?" Mrs. Izumi asked.

Taichi slipped on his shoes, "yes, ma'am. Thanks for the hot chocolate. It was great! Oh and thanks for welcoming me into your home, too. Bye!"

Mrs. Izumi giggled as she locked the door behind her son's rambunctious friend. She looked into Koushiro's room, "He sure left quick. I guess he knows where his cat is."

Koushiro was still standing in his room like Taichi had left him.

She blinked, "Izzy? What's wrong?"

Koushiro blushed a bright red but still stared forward, "nothing."

Mrs. Izumi smiled nervously and walked out, "okay, son."

Koushiro let a smile slip as he pressed his hands to his face, "he called me...Koushiro."

Meanwhile, Taichi had caught the cat. He held onto it tightly so it wouldn't scratch him, "Meiko, why? You put me through so much trouble."

The cat purred.

"But...I did have a nice time. Why did you have to show up so soon?" Taichi scolded.

The cat looked up at him.

Taichi smiled again, "I had a great time. You need to get lost more often."

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**Yay, Taishiro love! lol. **

**I hope you all like it. ^_^... **


	2. Aches

**Hello, everyone. I think I'm just going to write replies to the reviews now that it's an option instead of saying thanks to everyone here. **

**I hope everyone likes this chapter. It's too kawaii. ^_^... **

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**Chapter Two: Aches**

The smell of spring filled the air as the breeze cooled the grass and drifted clouds forward. A black and white flash was bouncing to and fro along the grassy field, and laughter could be heard.

Taichi loved soccer. It was so easy to play since he knew the rules and how to dodge penalties. In his free time, he loved it, but at school he loved it more. At school he was often showing off, and his ego landed him the team captain position. The team adored his skills, and he adored their admiration.

The year of the digidestined's trip to the Digital World, Taichi had met a newcomer to _his_ soccer team. The boy was a little mahogany-haired, light-skinned, computer nerd. Taichi remembered Koushiro's first day at practice; he could barely land a kick to the ball. He recalled that Koushiro finally gave up on the third day and assumed position as bench warmer, and Taichi didn't know the boy well enough to not give up on him.

Obviously, he had another chance to not give up, because as soon as Taichi kicked the ball into the goal, a voice greeted him from behind. "Good afternoon, Taichi."

Taichi recognized the voice, but his full given name was a bit odd. He whipped his head around to see Koushiro dressed in a red soccer shirt and long white shorts. "I-Izzy? You're going to try sports again, huh?" Taichi asked in shock.

Koushiro smiled timidly and spoke, "I could use the extra curricular in athletics."

"You said that last time," Taichi chuckled.

"Duck Tai!" one of the boys yelled.

Taichi had been hit in the head too many times to ignore a warning. Out of reflex he stumbled out of the way of the incoming ball. A smack was heard, and Koushiro was down. Three boys rushed up to them and asked concerned questions.

Taichi scrambled to his feet and placed his hands onto the younger boy's shoulders, "Izzy! Are you alright?"

Koushiro was sitting upright now that Taichi had his shoulders. He looked up and smiled nervously, but his cheek was red from the hit of the ball. "I have a slow reaction, I guess," he said.

One of the boys chuckled nervously and pulled Koushiro up by the hand, "sorry about that, Izumi."

Taichi smiled thankfully to his teammate.

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" another boy asked.

Koushiro shook his head, "I'm fine. Thank you." He placed his hand onto his cheek and nodded to Taichi.

"Okay, Izzy, since you were bench warmer last time, I'm going to act as your personal trainer," Taichi told his friend with a grin.

"Okay," Koushiro answered simply.

Taichi blinked in shock, "what?" He put his hand onto Koushiro's forehead, "hold it, guys. I think he has a concussion."

Koushiro backed away, "no really, I'm fine. I just think I need to expand my hobbies from the computer. Exercise is excellent for the body, and I don't want to die early just because I didn't get physical."

Taichi smirked, "well, you're in for a great semester, Izzy."

Koushiro smiled again and nodded.

"And no electronics on the field, Izumi!" of the boys laughed.

Taichi grinned, "yeah, no computers on the green." He took Koushiro's arm and pulled him along, "come on!"

Koushiro only followed.

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Mrs. Izumi perked up as she heard the door close and shoes being shucked off. "Izzy, is that you?" she called as she sat on the couch.

Koushiro dragged himself into the family room and plopped onto the couch beside her. He looked flustered and worn out. "I'm home, Mom," he groaned.

Mrs. Izumi noticed that her son was wearing a soccer uniform, "oh, so you did try sports again? Your father will be happy."

"I know I'm helping my body by doing this, but right now I am just in pain," he mumbled.

"It's a good burn, son. My, you haven't exercised so much in a very long time," she giggled.

He let out a breath and stood slowly, "Tai said that I should soak in a hot bath to relax my muscles. I didn't know that I really had any until today; just something you don't notice until you work to improve it."

She smiled a bit more, "oh, you're on Tai's team? I'm so glad for that."

Koushiro was a bit taken aback by her reaction, "why is that, Mom?"

"Well, you two hadn't been spending much time together anymore," she answered.

"That's not because we're drifting apart. He's been busy, and so have I," he told her in a light defense. "But now that school is back in session, we'll become tighter than a-"

Mrs. Izumi put her hands up, "please, son, no difficult-to-understand metaphors."

Koushiro smiled nervously and bowed his head, "I...think I'm going to soak my mangled and aching body now. Excuse me, Mom."

"Do you at least want a snack first?" she asked. "I know how sports can work up an appetite."

"No thanks. I can wait until dinner," he answered as he bowed his head once more and left the room to enter the bathroom. He locked the door and took off his shirt when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He blinked, taking it out, "who would be calling?" The phone was mostly used for emergencies or for calling his parents, so he never expected anyone else on the other side of the line, but wouldn't one know it; Taichi's name showed up on the ID. Koushiro quickly pressed the accept button and spoke, "hello?"

"Izzy, hey," Taichi's voice rang out.

"Hey, Tai," Koushiro mumbled in shock.

"I just wanted to call and say good hustle out there today. I wasn't expecting such effort from you. Actually, you're not half bad for a newbie," Tai told him.

Koushiro blushed, "um, thanks. Good hustle from you as well. And I will continue to put as much effort that is needed for the games and practices, because I believe a person should try their best at whatever they do, especially if they have chosen the activity."

Tai got a bit silent then spoke again in a lower tone, "so...why did you decide to join soccer again? And don't say that you needed the activity for school, because I asked Kari, and she said you only needed one credit."

"You asked your little sister that, and she knew?" Koushiro asked in a mutter.

"Don't change the subject. Tell me," Tai urged.

Koushiro frowned; there was no way he could lie to Taichi, not that he didn't want to, but Taichi knew him so well that he could pick out the falseness. "I joined because..." Koushiro started. He swallowed and decided to tell the truth, "because I wanted to hang out with you more." A blush rose to his cheeks again.

"Because you want to hang out with me more?" Taichi asked with a smile. "Well, I'm really glad you joined the team. Believe it or not, it's not that we don't need more brawn, but we need more strategists, and you would be perfect for it."

Koushiro smiled, "really? Thanks, Taichi."

There was brief pause.

"You did it again, Koushiro," Taichi said as his face heated up. He smiled more.

"Sorry! I won't do it again. It's um..." Koushiro stammered.

"You can call me by my full given name. I don't mind," Taichi said with a grin. "I like calling you Koushiro sometimes, too. It sounds...cool."

Koushiro blushed more and stammered again, "I have to uh, um, I need to go now, Tai. I'll see you tomorrow."

Taichi nodded, "okay, Izzy. I'll see you tomorrow. Remember to wash your uniform and bring some awesome brain power tomorrow afternoon for practice."

Koushiro smiled, "okay. Thanks. Bye, Tai."

"Bye, Izzy," Taichi spoke back.

Koushiro hung up and smiled timidly, "wow, I feel better than when I woke up today, and I was pretty excited about practice this morning."

Taichi, lying on his bed in his room, hung up his phone as well. He continued to smile happily, "a whole semester of Koushiro playing soccer with us. It's like I'll get to spend double time with him. This is great." He blushed a light shade of pink, "Koushiro..."

"Did you call Izzy?" Hikari called from down the hallway. "Can I use your phone now? I need to call Dad."

Taichi didn't hear her from his own thoughts. He closed his eyes and smiled more.

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**Sorry that it was so short. I will write more next time. Promise. ^_^... **

**A review would be nice. Thank you!**


	3. Goal

**Not much traffic through the Digimon sections, huh? hee hee. Oh well. Someone will like this. **

**This one is more Taishiro-ness. I love the end. ^_^... **

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**Chapter Three: Goal**

Koushiro didn't notice how rigorous Taichi let training be. After they ran laps, they would jog in place, and after that they would kick the ball back and forth. These activities, along with other _useless_ junk, or so Koushiro called it, was about enough to make him quit the team.

But finally, their first game came into existence. When Koushiro told his parents that he wasn't going to spend the game warming the bench, they were excited and ready to cheer him on. More so than his mother, his father was extremely happy about his son finally taking an interest in sports.

Maybe they shouldn't have gotten so worked up, because even though the home team was ahead, Koushiro was not doing too well. He found that he wasn't coordinated enough to zig-zag in front of the ball like the other boys, but Taichi never tossed him onto the bench; Koushiro wondered why.

The ball whizzed past Taichi's head like a wasp, "someone stop it!" He looked behind him and saw Koushiro was open to stop it, but Taichi cringed, "Izzy! Don't touch it with your hands, and it'll be okay!"

Koushiro allowed the ball to hit his chest, and he placed his foot onto it. He looked around for help.

"Shoot it to Mel!" a boy yelled.

"Who is Mel again?" Koushiro thought anxiously. Even thought he and Taichi had been practicing, he realized that he had not learned anything about the other boys other than the two that were in his class.

"You can do it, son!" Mr. Izumi yelled.

"Oh, poor Koushiro," his wife murmured in worry.

Koushiro then noticed a kid from the other team. The boy dressed in green was leaning on his right foot. "Must be a past injury," Koushiro thought. Then he looked at the goalie; the boy was wiping his hands and standing more off to the right side of the goal. "And if I recall throughout this game, he doesn't move from side to side of that big net very fast." He frowned, "but what if I can kick the ball hard enough to make it?" He guesstimated the distance of the net from him, minus the wind resistance.

Taichi frowned, watching his friend think. He didn't move and kept his guard on the other kid. "Do something already," he thought.

Koushiro took a breath and turned his heel as if he was going to kick the ball to his teammate. The opponents darted to a new direction out of reflex, and before they could realize it was trick, Koushiro kicked the ball towards the left side of the net.

The ball flew past Taichi again, past the kid with the bum right leg, and all the way into the left side of the net as the goalie skidded at a failed attempt to block.

Taichi's eyes were wide as the team was silent. He looked at Koushiro shakily and gasped, "Izzy...made a goal..." He grinned widely and raised a fist as he ran for his friend, "Izzy, you made a goal! I knew you could do it!"

"Alright!" Mr. Izumi cried out. "Koushiro! Great job!"

Mrs. Izumi only smiled happily, "I guess with a little practice, he can do anything."

Koushiro gaped as Taichi hugged him and whirled him around. "Put me down," he squeaked.

The rest of the team rushed up to Koushiro and congratulated him.

"Great goal, Izzy!" Taichi exclaimed excitedly. "I'm so proud of you!"

Koushiro blushed madly and took a step back, "but...but it's only halftime!"

"You scored," Taichi said. "I'm really happy that you did it. I was afraid you weren't having any fun, but what's more fun than this? Can't you feel that feeling of accomplishment? Huh?"

"Well," Koushiro mumbled, looking at the goal, "I guess so."

"Let's go get some water," one of their teammates said as they rest followed him.

"Tai?" Koushiro muttered.

Taichi looked at him, "huh?"

Koushiro smiled, "this really is better than sitting indoors. Best Saturday I've had in a while."

Taichi chuckled and pointed to Koushiro's head, "and look, you're breaking a sweat, too. Bet you've never done that on a Saturday."

Koushiro nearly laughed, "sure...haven't."

Mr. Izumi blinked, "Hey, Yoshee, who is the big-haired boy talking to Koushiro so much?"

"That's Taichi Yagami," Mrs. Izumi answered. She smiled, "he's the boy Izzy has been tutoring. You remember he came over a few times."

"Did he? I must have missed him. Sorry," he mumbled nervously. "We really owe that Yagami kid. If not for him, Izzy would be at home on the computer." He looked at his wife, "I'm really happy that he's opening himself up to other relationships with people."

"Same here," she nodded. "I was afraid he would have a complex forever. Maybe he'll finally come out of his shell."

Mr. Izumi held onto her hand and smiled, "Izzy is Izzy. I'm really happy he is who he is."

"Yes, I wouldn't change a thing," she agreed.

When the game finally ended, the home team had lost, but they were still pepped up. Hikari, who had been watching from the stands, rushed to her big brother and cheered, "great game, Tai!"

Taichi smiled, "yeah yeah, you must want something."

"We didn't even win," Koushiro mumbled.

"But we played a great game," Taichi told him. He winked, "we only lost by two points. I call that almost a tie."

"Tai tie," Hikari mumbled.

"Hey, my mom is ordering pizza for our first game of the season. Do you want to come over and have some?" Taichi asked Koushiro. He pressed his hands together and smiled, "piiiiiizza."

Koushiro didn't know why, but when Taichi did that, it made him crazy. He blushed and looked away, "I have to ask permission first."

"Better hurry, Mom is here," Hikari said, rushing to her mother, who was among the people. Mrs. Yagami waved to Taichi.

Taichi waved back and pointed to Koushiro quickly while giving a thumbs up. Mrs. Yagami nodded and gave the thumbs up back. "There, she said it's okay," Taichi told his friend.

Koushiro smiled, "okay, let me ask my parents. I'll be right back."

Taichi nodded, waiting.

Koushiro found his parents and rushed up to them. "You were so great, son," Mrs. Izumi said happily.

"Very nice goal, Koushiro," Mr. Izumi nodded.

Koushiro loved all the praise about something that wasn't school work. He spoke, "thank you both for cheering me on and watching. I'm sorry that we lost."

"We don't care about the score; we just loved watching you out there," Mrs. Izumi said. Her husband nodded.

Koushiro knew they babied him sometimes, but he didn't mind it in these situations. "Oh, Dad, Mom, could I ask permission to go to my friend Tai's house for pizza? His mother said I could go, and Tai invited me. Please?"

His parents blinked at his request.

Koushiro clasped his hands together.

"Of course, you can," Mr. Izumi chuckled. "Just be home by six. Deal?"

Koushiro nodded, "thank you! I'll call before I head home. It's a deal." He smiled and rushed off, "love you!"

Mr. Izumi smiled, too, "our little nerd is growing up."

"And he's getting so handsome," his wife joked.

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Mrs. Yagami held the pizza box above her head, "do it!"

Taichi, Hikari, and Koushiro frowned up at her then down at a plate of purple, brownie-looking food.

"Try my violet petal lemon bars, and I'll give you the goods," she sang.

"No way," Taichi sighed.

Koushiro picked one up; Taichi and Hikari gaped at him. The red-head took a bite and chewed. He waited to finish swallowing before talking, "very good, Mrs. Yagami. May I have another?"

She danced in place and set the pizza box down onto the table. "Thank you, Izzy! Such a good boy. Have as many as you like!" With that, she left them to their pizza.

"Thanks for taking one for the team," Hikari giggled at Koushiro. She stopped giggling and stood quickly. "Bathroom. Be right back!" she blurted out, bowing a little before rushing off.

The younger boy picked up another violet petal lemon bar and held it to Taichi's face, "make your mother proud, Taichi."

Taichi blushed as he looked at his friend's smirking expression. He finally grinned and took a bite and chewed. "This tastes awful," he muffled with a mouthful. He swallowed "Gross."

"Don't let her hear you," Koushiro chuckled, putting the rest of the bar onto the plate.

Taichi picked up a piece of pizza and held it close to Koushiro's face, "you're turn."

Koushiro noticed Taichi's flustered face. "Is he flirting with me?" he thought in shock. "Better question, did I start this flirting session?" He shook his head, which made Taichi cock an eyebrow, "this is not what it is at all. Just being friendly. It was a joke on my part, and he's just joking, too." He continued to think, "why did flirting even pop into my head? This is ludacris."

"Come on, take a bite," Taichi chuckled.

Koushiro smiled nervously and did as he wanted. He chewed it slowly but was hooked by the minute the cheese and sauce hit is tongue. He hummed in pleasure and smiled.

Taichi felt something snap inside him as he heard the hum. Shivers shot up his spine.

"Back!" Hikari said as she rushed in and sat down. She grabbed a slice and began eating.

Taichi snapped back to the food and took a bite of the slice he was holding.

"I thought that was my piece," Koushiro mumbled.

Taichi blushed and nearly choked.

Hikari blinked, "huh?"

"Nothing," Koushiro chuckled, taking a fresh piece for himself. He found Taichi's stammering and nervousness quite amusing.

Taichi finally swallowed and blushed more. "Yeah, just guy stuff, Kari." He glanced at Koushiro with a smile, and Koushiro smiled back.

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**So cute, right? lol. **

**Leave me a review if you like it. ^_^... **


	4. Lightweight

**Hello, thank you for the reviews. yay! ^_^... **

**I love this fic already. hee hee. It's just so cute. **

**Enjoy, because with every chapter comes more Taishiro. **

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**Chapter Four: Lightweight**

The smell of freshly cut grass filled Taichi's nose, and he breathed out the wonderful scent. Koushiro, on the other hand, had his sinuses blown up by the grassy smell and pollen. He took a deep inhale in an attempt to clear his nasal passage, but there was no avail. He pressed his fingertips onto his upper nose and groaned. He hated when his sinuses swelled.

Taichi walked up to Koushiro, who was sitting on the bench. "Want to come over?" he asked excitedly.

Koushiro smiled nervously, "I would love to, but I have an awful lot of homework."

The older boy pointed at his own backpack that was on the ground. "So, do I..."

Koushiro stood and smiled again, "Taichi?"

Taichi blushed at the sound of his full name. "Eh?" was all he could manage to peep out.

"Tomorrow is Friday. I was going to ask my mom if you could...um..." Koushiro stammered. He looked away.

"Could what?" Taichi asked right before his little sister rushed up to him.

"Tai! You promised to walk us home, remember? Practice is over, right?" Hikari nearly nagged.

Taichi frowned, "don't interrupt, Kari."

"It's no big deal," Koushiro blurted out. Taichi frowned in concern. "I'll see you later, Tai." He threw his backpack over his shoulder and made a run for it.

Taichi blinked, reaching for Koushiro. "Izzy..." he muttered. Then he realized what Hikari had said. "US?" he snapped as he whirled around to see Hikari and two of her little friends. They all giggled together. He frowned, "what is this, Kari?"

"Mom said that my friends could sleep over. We're having a slumber party," Hikari said in very much excitement as the other girls' eyes sparkled.

Taichi made a disgusted face, "eh..."

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Koushiro arrived home and walked into his room with slumped shoulders. His mother watched him from the kitchen doorway. Her worried eyes fixed onto his bedroom door after he shut it. "Koushiro..." she mumbled in pure fret.

"I couldn't do it," the boy thought as he lied on his bed. He stared at his ceiling and lowered his eyes. "I was too nervous to ask him to stay over," he thought sadly. "But why? It's not like I'm uncomfortable around him. I know him very well, especially after fighting along side him in the Digital World. Why do I feel...like there's this heat rising every time I want to propose a conversation with him?" His mind popped out an image of Taichi sleeping in a t-shirt and boxers; Koushiro blushed, feeling that heat rising yet again. He gasped, "I'm...attracted to him?"

He shook his head and sat up, pulling his backpack into his lap. "I'm being ridiculous." He took out one of his text books and started his homework.

Meanwhile, Taichi was sitting at the table in his home as he listened to the three little girls squealing and laughing in Hiarki's room. He frowned thumping his head onto the wooden table.

His mother looked at him as she stirred a strange, pink mixture. "Tai, what's wrong? You're going to have to put up with women sometime; you might as well get use to it."

Taichi wasn't so sure that was going to be the case, as he was still crushing on a certain boy. He still couldn't believe that he admitted to himself that it was a crush. He had a crush on Sora for the longest time, so why a boy now? He was so very confused, but unlike Koushiro, he wanted to be nearer to his confusion, not away from it.

"Tai?" his mother's voice pierced through his thoughts.

He looked at her, "y-yes?"

"Don't you have homework?" she asked.

He nodded with a frown. Then he groaned again. "How will I ever get homework done while all that girl screaming is going on?"

She smiled, "go to a friend's house for a while." He stood abruptly and rushed to the phone. "What are you doing?" she asked in shock.

Hikari and her friends squealed loudly and laughed.

"Calling a friend!" he said in a desperate tone.

"Wow, the girls must be poison to you," she giggled.

"Izumi residence," Mrs. Izumi answered on the other end of the phone line.

Taichi spoke as politely as he could, "Mrs. Izumi, may I speak to Izzy?"

She frowned, thinking of how her son had dragged himself through the door. "Hold on, please," she said as she put her hand over the phone and walked to her son's bedroom. She gently knocked onto the door, "Koushiro...your friend Taichi wants to speak to you."

Taichi waited a few seconds until Koushiro was on the phone. "Izzy, hey!" he said happily.

"Sure changed your tune fast," Mrs. Yagami muttered from the kitchen counter.

"H-Hi Tai," Koushiro mumbled. "Why are you calling so excitedly?"

"Well, you probably noticed those kids with Kari," Taichi sighed. He said in a pathetic tone, "they followed her home. I can't get any homework done."

Koushiro blushed, realizing what Taichi was about to ask. "You want to come over?" he mumbled shyly.

Taichi blinked in surprise; Koushiro was in sync with his mind. He smiled, "please?"

"Actually, Taichi, what I wanted to ask you before was...well..." Koushiro started.

"Yeah?" Taichi asked.

"I need to ask my mom, but would you like to sleep over?" Koushiro asked.

Taichi blushed and smiled wider, "really? Cool, yeah ask her!"

Koushiro was a bit shocked and overwhelmed that Taichi was so excited about it. He walked to the kitchen where his mother was preparing their dinner. "Mom?" Koushiro started. She looked at him. "Well, I'm really sorry for not saying hello to you when I returned home. I was just...I didn't have a very productive day at school. I was just bummed about it."

Mrs. Izumi smiled, "that's alright, Izzy. We all have those days."

"I wanted to ask you...if my friend Tai can sleep over tonight. We'll get our homework done together," he mumbled. "We will be very quiet when you and Dad go to sleep, and we won't stay up too late."

She let out a small giggle, "Izzy, it's Friday, just toss the homework aside for tonight. You have til Monday to finish it. If Tai's mother doesn't mind, I'll be honored to have him stay the night. And I don't mind how late you both stay up, either." She blinked and smiled more, "guess I have to chop more carrots."

He smiled, "thank you, Mom!" He hugged her tightly then rushed to his room, still holding the phone.

Mrs. Izumi turned back to the vegetables she was chopping and lowered her eyes, "he really does love me. I'm so glad..."

"My mom said it's okay, Tai," Koushiro said over the phone.

Taichi chuckled, "my mom said it was cool, too. She just told me to behave."

"You're always well behaved at my home," Koushiro chuckled. "We always eat dinner at around six if you want to eat with us. My mom is making enough for you."

Taichi grinned, "of course! I'm going to do some homework and take a shower then be there as soon as I can. I'll see you before six. I don't want to miss a minute of the food."

Koushiro chuckled, "see you then, Taichi."

Taichi blushed and spoke in a lower tone, "see you...Koushiro." He hung up the phone to see his mother look at him questionably. He didn't say anything to her as he backed away then rushed to his room.

* * *

Six o' clock rolled around, and Taichi was already entering the Izumi residence. He had a duffle bag over his shoulder. Koushiro greeted him first as he was taking off his shoes. "Sorry that I'm right on time, but I couldn't find my sleeping bag and realized that Kari had it in her room."

"Oh, Tai, you don't need a sleeping bag. We have an extra futon you can sleep on," Mrs. Izumi said as she walked up to the boys.

"Really?" Taichi piped with a grin. He looked at Koushiro suspiciously, "why didn't you tell me that before?"

Koushiro blushed as he raised his hands nervously, "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"Come on, boys," Mrs. Izumi said with a cheerful tone, "food will get cold."

Taichi took off his duffle bag, "awesome."

Koushiro reached for the bag, but his hands collided with Taichi's. They came into eye contact. Koushiro froze, and Taichi shuddered silently. A few moments passed, and Koushiro summoned the courage to tug on the bag a little. A heavy blush coated his cheeks, and his throat became so tight that he didn't know if he could speak.

Taichi saw that his friend was only being polite and was going to take his bag for him. So, he loosened his grip and allowed Koushiro to take it.

Koushiro cleared his throat, "s-sorry." He quickly placed the bag in his room and glanced away from his friend.

"Tai, do you drink green tea?" Mrs. Izumi called from the dining area.

"W-Water for me, please. I sweated a lot today," Taichi answered as he broke his gaze away from Koushiro. He then blushed at what he said. "I just told his mom that I sweated," he thought in embarrassment.

Koushiro smiled nervously and led his friend into the dining area where his mother and father sat, eating.

"Tai, good to have you over," Mr. Izumi said with a smile. "Not often Izzy brings home a friend." He blinked, "actually rare would be more accurate."

Taichi smiled, "oh thanks. Yeah, Izzy is such a shut in."

Koushiro blushed, looking at his food.

"Tai, you've met Tento, right" Mrs. Izumi asked.

"I think it was Tentomon, hun," Mr. Izumi told her. He looked at his son, "right?"

Koushiro nodded, looking away.

"Oh, yeah, I have," Taichi mumbled in surprise. "You two know about Izzy's digimon, huh? That's cool. If my mom and dad knew that big T-Rex monster was my friend, they would flip."

"You have a Tento, too?" Mrs. Izumi asked.

"No, not a tentomon," Taichi answered. "My digimon is Agumon. He's a little orange dinosaur-looking digimon."

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Izumi hummed. "I'm just really thankful to Tento. He really helped my little Izzy open up to the world."

Koushiro's face was bright pink as he drank his tea. He placed his cup down, "we have a game on Thrusday, right, Tai?"

Taichi grinned, noticing that Koushiro wanted his mother to stop talking about how she cared about him, "sure do!" He took a bite of a dumpling, "this is so great!"

"Have as much as you like," Mrs. Izumi said happily.

Koushiro glanced at Taichi and saw crumbs on his face. He blushed again as that tingling feeling returned.

After dinner, the boys carried the dishes to the kitchen then retired to Koushiro's room for the night. Taichi stretched and fell onto Koushiro's bed as Koushiro threw the sheets and blanket onto the futon. "Your mom sure knows how to cook, Izzy," Taichi sighed happily. "I'm starting to hit puberty, how bout you?"

Koushiro choked on his spit and coughed, doubling over.

Taichi blinked, "Izzy?"

"What kind of random question is that?" Koushiro asked in shock.

Taichi chuckled, "sorry. It was just on my mind lately. I eat a lot more now that I'm having those growing pains, that's all." He looked at his hands and balled them into fists then opened them, "my hands are getting bigger, too. I can see it."

"Congratulations," Koushiro muttered shyly.

"Koushiro?" Taichi cooed.

Koushiro blushed, looking at him, "y-yes?"

"Well, since you're into soccer now, I think I should do something with computers. You know, so we can hang out even more. What do you think?" Taichi asked.

"Something...with computers," Koushiro mumbled thoughtfully.

"Well, you can't be writing programs with **all** your computer time, can you?" Taichi asked.

"I know just the thing for you, Tai," Koushiro said with a smirk.

After a few minutes of Koushiro typing away on his desktop and his laptop, he handed the little laptop to Taichi and pointed to a few keys, "this one is to jump, this one is to attack, special attacks, then move with these."

"A game?" Taichi asked.

"An online game. It's really fun," Koushiro answered. "Since we have separate computers, we can play together." Taichi looked at the screen and saw a electronic person running to him. He tapped the attack button fifty times before Koushiro said something, "that's me!"

"Huh?" Taichi grinned, "oh, sorry! I thought you were an enemy."

"You nearly killed me, Taichi," Koushiro laughed.

Taichi blushed and smiled quietly as his character followed Koushiro through the electronic forest.

After playing the game until nearly four AM, the boys turned the computers off and fell into bed and futon. Taichi was mumbling something about his aching thumbs. Koushiro smiled, "you really got into that game, Tai."

"Of course, I love video games," Taichi said with a smile. He looked at the bed Koushiro was lying in. "Izzy?"

"Yes?" Koushiro yawned.

"Thanks for inviting me. I feel..." Taichi began. He spoke shyly, "like we're getting to be really close."

Koushiro smiled more, "of course, you're my best friend, Taichi."

Taichi rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, "night, Koushiro-kun."

Koushiro didn't hear it, because he was already passed out.

Taichi chuckled lightly as he heard Koushiro's light snores. "Lightweight," he thought.

* * *

**Review if you like it! I always appreciate those reviews. **

**Thank you again!**


	5. Gashes

**Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Here is your present. lol. **

**I'm so glad more people like this fic. Makes me feel awesome. **

**Well, if you know me and my fics, then you know there's always a twist. So here is the twist in this fic. lol. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter Five: Gashes**

Since Koushiro accepted computer club presidency, the days grew longer for him. He had a tough time squeezing in school work including classes, computer club, and soccer. He could keep up with himself until one Thursday evening when he was walking home from soccer practice. He was so exhausted.

He hadn't tied his shoe after the laces had dragged all the way to his apartment complex. He hadn't noticed it until he was on the fourth stair case. For some reason the elevator was slow, and he wasn't really in the mood to wait. Since he wasn't patient, he took the stairs and decided if he did get too tired before he arrived at his floor, then he would simply find another elevator at said floor. Then, it happened.

His opposite foot of said untied shoe stepped on the lace. Koushiro tried to catch himself, but he spun too much and hurled down the stairs face first. There was such an enormous amount of pain before colliding with the hard edge of the stairs with his head. And after that, he was knocked out cold.

Not two hours after Koushiro had lost consciousness on the stairs, his mother began to worry about not even getting a call from him. She picked up the phone and called his cell phone, and meanwhile, Koushiro's cell phone rang the default generic tone, but there was no pick up.

"I wonder if his phone is on silent," she mumbled thoughtfully. She hung up and dialed another number. This time Mrs. Yagami picked up with a frustrated hello. Mrs. Izumi smiled nervously, "Hello, this is Koushiro's mother. Is this Yagami-san?"

Tai's mother frowned, "who's mother?"

"Oh, Izzy,'s mother," she answered in a peep. She spoke directly after, "Is Izzy over there with Tai? He hasn't shown up, and I wondered if he just forgot to call."

Mrs. Yagami blinked, "hm, Tai isn't home yet. Maybe soccer ran late." She gasped, "oh, that's right! Tai walked Kari over to the library so she could meet her study group. But he should be home any minute. I'll tell him to give you a call when he gets home." She sighed happily, "your boy really has improved Tai's study habits. I'm glad they are getting to be good friends."

Mrs. Izumi smiled more, "oh, me as well. Tai really gets Izzy out of his safe zone. If you don't mind, we could spend some mom time together. If you're ever bored, we could get some lunch or something."

"That would be great. I'm a housewife, so I get bored everyday!" Mrs. Yagami laughed.

"You, too? I've aways been a professional mom," Mrs. Izumi giggled.

* * *

Taichi was walking home from the library. His mother had told him that his father would pick up Hikari since he was getting off work early. He wondered what he was going to do with his time since most of his homework was finished during class and free period.

He stopped and looked to his right; it was Koushiro's apartment building. "Wonder what Izzy is doing." He chuckled, "he's probably soaking his wimpy muscles." A picture of Koushiro popped into his mind, and he blushed. He swallowed hard, "cute...wimpy muscles, though." He smiled softly, "I'm so scared to admit it, but..."

A sound pricked his ear. He looked at the complex again. It was a faint sound of a bell ring, but he couldn't really make it out. What he was really hearing was Koushiro's phone from the third floor, but he couldn't tell what it was. "Huh," he hummed as he walked on down the sidewalk. He didn't think of it again.

* * *

Mrs. Izumi was pacing the small hallway, waiting for the phone to ring. It was getting late, and no one had called her. She at first thought it was silly to worry, but then she didn't think so. She felt uneasy more than worried at points. "What if he had to go to the Digital World again?" she pondered. "Or what if that's not the case?"

A loud knocking interrupted her thoughts, and she rushed to the door, swinging it open. "Kou-!" she started as she saw a figure, but it was her neighbor.

"Yoshee-san!" the elderly woman cried out in terror. "It's your boy! Nika-chan already called the ambulance! Hurry!"

Mrs. Izumi's heart raced, and she felt like fainting, but her motherly instincts wouldn't let her. "Where is he?" she shouted at the woman.

The old woman pointed towards the stairs, "third floor! I was coming home and saw. Hurry! Go!"

Mrs. Izumi rushed out bare-footed. "No, no, no! Not again. Koushiro, my baby! Koushiro!" she thought fearfully. She raced down the flights of stairs until she saw an older man and a teen girl kneeling at her son's side. Some of the other neighbors were standing around, talking. "Koushiro!" she cried out, rushing to his side.

Koushiro's face was bloody from the gash in his forehead. It looked as if all the blood was dry, though, which meant the bleeding had stopped a long time ago. He was very still, but his head looked like it hurt very badly.

"Koushiro! I'm here!" Mrs. Izumi nearly screamed. She petted his hair, "Mommy is here!"

"Mrs. Izumi," Nika, the teen girl, started, "I found him just ten minutes ago. He was lying face down; I think he may have tripped."

The older man put his hand onto the crying woman's shoulder, "don't worry. The ambulance is on its way. I think your son will be alright in their care. Please, try to calm down."

"I should have looked around for him when he didn't come home!" Mrs. Izumi cried. "Izzy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm a bad mother!"

Koushiro could hear her, but he was barely awake. His hand that she was holding gripped hers lightly. "Don't," he whispered.

"Izzy-kun, don't move. It's okay," Nika told him sadly.

"I'm right here, baby," Mrs. Izumi told him before kissing his forehead. Her tears slipped down his face.

Koushiro didn't hear her after that; he slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

Taichi had called Mrs. Izumi back, but he didn't get an answer. He was a little worried about Koushiro, but he decided that maybe his friend just had computer club business and forgot to tell his mother. It didn't occur that something was wrong until lunch break the next day. He and Koushiro usually ate together, but he couldn't find him.

After, looking in Koushiro's classroom and around the grounds, he met up with one of his teammates. "Oh, Tai, he didn't come to school today. The teacher got a call and said that he was taking a sick day," the boy told him.

Taichi was convinced that something was wrong. And when he was set on something in his mind, he didn't let up for one minute. So, he did the only thing he knew what to do; he grabbed his backpack and skipped school.

He ran all the way to Koushiro's home with so many possibilities in his head. "What if he is missing? What if this is digital-related? What if he's just sick? I have to know!" The thought of not being with Koushiro stabbed at his heart. He didn't know when was the last time he felt so awful and scared. "If he was just sick, he would have called and told me that he couldn't come to soccer, so something is wrong!" he thought fearfully.

He arrived at the Izumi door and knocked. When he didn't get an answer he shouted out, "Koushiro! Mrs. Izumi!"

"Tai?" a deeper voice said from a distance.

Taichi looked to his left to see Mr. Izumi walking up to him. He had a shocked yet solemn look about him. "Mr. Izumi, where is Izzy? Is he sick? I was worried, so I-" Taichi started in a panic.

"Aren't you suppose to be in school, Tai? I called the school and told them Koushiro was sick," he said lowly as he unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Is he in here?" Taichi asked adruptly, as he slipped off his shoes and rushed past the man. He looked in Koushiro's room, "where is he?" He noticed that the laptop was still on the desk, and Koushiro's backpack was on the bed.

"Young man, are you always this rude?" Mr. Izumi asked curtly.

Taichi didn't know the man that well, but from what he had seen before, Mr. Izumi was a easy-going and calm person. He wasn't being himself at the moment. Taichi looked at the man, "where is Koushiro?"

Mr. Izumi's eyes reddened as he heard Taichi speak the name. He sniffled and pushed past Taichi to gather some clothes from Koushiro's room. "He...had an accident yesterday," he answered sadly. "I'm just here to get some comfortable clothes for him."

"Accident?" Taichi nearly choked. "Is he at the hospital? What happened?"

"Yes, he has a concussion and a nasty gash," the man answered. "We think he tripped on the stairs and hit his head."

Taichi was a little relieved to hear that it wasn't a life-threatening injury. He looked at Mr. Izumi with determined eyes, "please...Mr. Izumi, please, let me go with you. Let me go visit him."

"He's not really up for visitors. Maybe tomorrow," Mr. Izumi told him.

"Please, you can't expect me to keep going when I think that my best friend is-" Taichi started desperately.

"Best friend?" Mr. Izumi asked in shock.

"Yes...I..." Taichi mumbled shyly. He blushed and blurted out his next statement, "I love Koushiro!" He surprised himself. He didn't know he had so much courage.

"Only on the condition that you call your mother after you visit him," Mr. Izumi said as he smiled weakly. "If you call her now, she may want you to go back to school."

Taichi smiled, his face still pink, "thanks. You're a pretty cool guy after all."

Mr. Izumi smiled a little more, "thanks...I guess."

* * *

Koushiro's eyes opened as he heard voices. He felt his head wrapped in something tight and a numbness in his face. He was afraid that his mouth would fall limp like at the dentist visits. Taichi was the first he saw, but he was embarrassed to have him see him like that.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up for a few hours now," Taichi whispered. He smiled softly, "how do you feel?"

Koushiro smiled faintly, "thirsty..."

Mrs. Izumi stood from where she sat, "Dad and I will go find you something really cold to drink." She took her husband's hand and led him out, "come with me, dear."

Taichi placed his fingertips lightly onto the bandaging, "Koushiro...what happened?"

Koushiro frowned slowly, "I don't...remember. I was walking...I don't know."

"Well," Taichi whispered gently, "you're still a cute face. Don't worry."

"Tai...I've had an atrocious amount o-of morphine, so...I..." Koushiro started breathlessly, "can barely hear you or...make out what you...you're saying."

Taichi smirked, "then why did you catch all the other things I said, huh?" He brushed his fingers along Koushiro's arm, "I was really worried. I ran all the way to your apartment from school."

"I'm sorry," Koushiro whispered. "I am... I made everyone worry. My mom...she cried, screamed...she...screamed over me yesterday. I remember..." he whispered slowly. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry..."

Taichi could tell Koushiro was slowly fading into unconsciousness again, so he did something he was always too shy to do. But he felt like he had to do this...to make Koushiro feel better. He leaned forward and placed his lips lightly to the younger boy's forehead. He pressed them a bit firmer and gripped Koushiro's arm.

Koushiro lifted his eyes to look at the brunette's chin as he kissed him. He whispered again, "no...Taichi..." He closed his eyes, "I will get...the...wron...g...idea..."

Taichi pulled back and saw that Koushiro was breathing level. "You won't," he spoke, leaning to his friend's ear. "Today, Koushiro, I realized something... Life is short, so...if we feel, then we have to act. I'm sorry for doing it, but..." His eyes water, "Izzy, I'm so confused with myself; please don't hate me." He put his hand over his own mouth quickly as he tried to calm down. What was he saying? Why was he acting this way? Koushiro had awakened a whole new kind of courage inside him.

* * *

**No, Koushiro isn't going to have amnesia or something like that. He's fine. I just needed a point of Taichi's feelings to burst out of him. **

**Be sure to leave me a nice review. Thanks again! ^_^...**

***starts writing on the next chapter.***


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